Honor
"Honor" is the ninth episode and mid-season premiere of the eighth season of AMC's ''The Walking Dead''. It is the one-hundred and eighth episode of the series overall. It premiered on February 25, 2018. It was written by Matt Negrete & Channing Powell and directed by Greg Nicotero. Plot Rick faces new difficulties after a battle. Meanwhile, the fight continues in other communities as core members face hard decisions. Synopsis In the future, light dances across Rick's face. He says to himself, "My mercy... prevails... over my wrath", chuckling as tears stream down his face. In the, now apparently, dream sequence, a white-bearded Rick and a six-year-old Judith chat amiably with Jerry in a peaceful Alexandria. Rick and Michonne dig a grave in Alexandria. In a flashback, Carl and Siddiq fight walkers in the woods. Carl is caught off guard and gets bitten in the abdomen. Carl leads Siddiq down the storm sewer manhole outside Alexandria and explains that he must talk to Rick before bringing Siddiq into their community. Carl patches up his bite wound in the bathroom and puts on a clean shirt. Tobin gives Carl a note from Michonne and explains that she went to the Sanctuary. Carl pens letters to Rick, Michonne and others in the group. Carl and Siddiq set up a cot in the sewer. Carl plays with Judith on the porch of their Alexandria home. Back in the present, Morgan watches as Saviors shoot at walkers surrounding the Sanctuary, creating an exit path behind the piles of corpses. The Saviors escape and start firing at Morgan and the three other snipers. While the snipers are killed, Morgan ducks from their fire and escapes unscathed. Gavin leads a caravan of Saviors down the road. Morgan follows them on foot. In the woods, Carol tells Nabila and the Kingdom survivors to seek refuge at her cottage while she rescues Ezekiel. She refuses to let Henry accompany her despite his insistence on fighting the Saviors. In the sewer, Carl shows his bite wound to Rick and gives him the stack of letters that he wrote to the group. He explains that his bite was not the Saviors' fault and that it happened while he was helping Siddiq. Gavin guards Ezekiel in the aftermath of the Kingdom assault. Ezekiel urges Gavin to join Rick's side before it's too late for him. Morgan stealthily enters the overrun Kingdom and sees Henry prowling in the distance. Carol joins Morgan inside the Kingdom walls. Morgan's plan of attack involves killing all the Saviors, but Carol suggests avoiding them instead. In the sewer, Siddiq gives Carl medicine and explains that he was a medical resident. Rosita suggests they all flee to the Hilltop while the Saviors destroy Alexandria above ground. Dwight points out that the Saviors will soon run out of ammo and insists they stay put until the siege is over. Carol and Morgan kill a group of four Saviors attempting to put out a fire from Ezekiel's distraction. Carol witnesses Morgan's brutality and worries about his renewed bloodlust. Gavin barks out orders to his men, but Ezekiel challenges his authority. Carl urges Rick and Michonne to stop fighting the Saviors. They hear silence above ground. Daryl and Tobin resurface to confirm that the Saviors have indeed left Alexandria. Morgan spots Saviors loading a truck and decides to kill them, despite Carol's protest. Gavin tries to contact three of his men via radio, but gets no response. He hears gunfire in the distance and retreats to the auditorium with Ezekiel and his remaining men. In the future again, light plays across a crying Rick's face as a rainbow reflection hits his face. In the dream sequence, Judith and a white-bearded Rick greet a jovial Eugene in a garden. Rick and Michonne shovel dirt onto a grave. Rick insists on staying in Alexandria with Carl, who won't make it, while the rest of the group travels to the Hilltop. Daryl takes Judith so that Michonne can stay with Rick and Carl. Carl says an emotional farewell to Judith, telling her that sometimes kids must show their parents the way, and gives her his sheriff's hat. Siddiq vows to honor Carl by showing everyone that his choice to save him mattered. Carol and Morgan ambush the Saviors inside the auditorium. Gavin is injured in the scuffle, but escapes. Morgan pursues him. Rick asks for Michonne's help carrying Carl out of the sewer. Morgan stalks Gavin in the Kingdom. Rick and Michonne carry Carl to the church. Morgan finds Gavin hiding in a shed. Rick and Michonne lay Carl down in the church. Carl expresses remorse over killing a boy when they lived in the prison. Morgan shoves Gavin to the ground. Gavin begs Morgan to spare his life and insists Rick's group can't beat Negan. Rick tries to absolve Carl of his guilt over the boy's death. Carl points out how easy it was to kill another human being. Gavin tells Morgan that killing him won't make a difference. Morgan hauls Gavin up to his feet. Carl explains that Rick's decision to stop fighting and welcome survivors into the prison was instrumental in shaping him. “It can be like that again,” he tells Rick. Ezekiel urges Morgan to let Gavin live. Rick reminds Carl that the war against the Saviors is different than their situation at the prison, but Carl is resolute that they can't kill all of the Saviors. Carol urges Morgan to spare Gavin's life. Morgan is overwhelmed and tears up. Morgan is surprised when a fighting stick pierces Gavin's throat from behind. When Gavin falls, Henry is revealed to be the killer. Carl describes his vision for a peaceful future in which the older, white-bearded Rick resides with Judith in a flourishing Alexandria. Rick promises to make Carl's vision come true. Ezekiel soothes Henry and tells him not to look at Gavin's body. Carol berates Henry for disobeying her, but Ezekiel assures Henry that everything will work out. Carl reaches for his gun and insists on shooting himself before he dies. He tells Rick and Michonne that he loves them. Rick and Michonne wait outside the church, where they hear a solitary, suppressed gunshot. Rick and Michonne bury Carl's body in the Alexandria graveyard. In Carl's vision, Judith walks down a garden path in Alexandria and greets Negan, who is working alongside others in the community. In the future again, light dances on Rick's face as he sits below a tree in a big open field and cries with blood on his hand. There are two wood-framed stained-glass panes hanging from the tree branches, causing a rainbow reflection on his face. Other Cast Co-Stars *Macsen Lintz as Henry *Nadine Marissa as Nabila *Mandi Christine Kerr as Barbara *Kinsley Isla Dillon as Six-Year-Old Judith *Ted Huckabee as Bruce Uncredited Deaths *Siddiq's Father (Confirmed Fate) *Duke *Paulie *Gomez *Gavin *Carl Grimes *At least 13 unnamed Saviors Trivia *First (and last) appearance of Duke. *First (and last) appearance of Paulie. *First (and last) appearance of Gomez. *Last appearance of Gavin. (Alive) *Last appearance of Carl Grimes. (Alive) **As of Carl's death: ***Rick is the last original member of the Grimes family. ***The only surviving characters from Season 1 are Rick, Daryl, Carol, and Morgan. ***Rick and Morgan are the only remaining characters who appeared in the pilot episode. ***Furthermore, the last three survivors from the original Atlanta Camp are Rick, Daryl, and Carol. ***With Chandler Riggs' departure, it makes Andrew Lincoln the last series regular actor from Season 1 to still be on the show prior to "What Comes After". *The title of the episode, "Honor", refers to Carl's final words to Judith, in which he tells her to honor Rick, while also telling her that sometimes, she'll have to show him the way (as Carl did). **It could also refer to Siddiq promising to honor Carl's memory by showing his people that his choice to save him mattered. *This episode is 82 minutes long, according to AMC's schedule. **It is the sixth extended episode this season and the twenty-fourth overall. **It is the longest mid-season premiere to date. **It is the second extended mid-season premiere, the first being "Rock in the Road". *Referencing previous events is still present as of this episode: **Carl mentions his killing of Jody in "Welcome to the Tombs" and references the beginning of Season 4 when Rick attempted to build a community in the prison alongside the Woodbury residents. **Gavin's death holds similarities to Jody's in "Welcome to the Tombs". Both deaths were of a surrendering enemy character, both were killed by a child character and the death signified a darker turn for their killer. The only difference is that while Jody had done nothing to Carl, Gavin was indirectly responsible of the death of Henry's brother. **Carl sharing a Big Cat with Siddiq is a callback to when he and Michonne share a Big Cat in "Us". **Carl passes Rick's hat to Judith to wear/take care of, wishing her luck and strength with it, resembling the moment and dialogue from "Cherokee Rose" when Rick gave this hat to Carl. ***Carl also says goodbye to Michonne and Rick with "I love you", resembling the scene where he says "I love you, dad" in said episode. **Carl putting himself down off-screen is a reference to Andrea's death when she did the same in "Welcome to the Tombs". *It is revealed that the "Older Rick" and "Happy Life" visions are actually Carl's dream/wishes for a better and happier life for everyone. This includes Negan working with Rick as well as becoming friends with him and Judith. *This episode marks the first time Henry killed a human being. Comic Parallels *Carl spending his last moments with his loved ones and leaving them goodbye letters is adapted from a similar scene in Issue 167, where Andrea manages to say goodbye to all her loved ones instead. *Carl telling Rick how he still thinks about killing Jody is adapted from a similar scene in Issue 169, where he tells Lydia how he still thinks about killing Ben instead. *Carl telling Rick how he has to find peace after the war for all the communities is adapted from a similar scene in Issue 167, where Andrea tells Rick he has to be strong for all the communities instead. Category:TV Episodes Category:TV Series Category:Season 8 (TV Series) Category:Mid-Season Premieres